site.btaImprisoned Journalists from Belarus, Georgia Win 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought

The two imprisoned journalists, Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia, are the laureates of the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Their names were announced here Wednesday by EP President Roberta Metsola.

As she did so, she said that by awarding this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the EP honours "two journalists whose courage shines as a beacon for all who refuse to be silenced". "Both have paid a heavy price for speaking truth to power, becoming symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy. The Parliament stands with them, and with all those who continue to demand freedom."

Metsola paid tribute to all nominees and thanked the political groups that had nominated them.

The presenting ceremony will be held оn December 16 and all nominees are invited to attend.

Andrzej Poczobut is a journalist, essayist, blogger and activist from the Polish minority in Belarus, the EP says on its website. Known for his outspoken criticism of the Lukashenka regime and his writings on history and human rights, he has been arrested many times. Detained since 2021, he was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony. His health has since deteriorated but, despite not receiving the medical care he needs, he is still fighting for freedom and democracy. Poczobut’s current state of health is unknown and his family is not allowed to visit.

In a resolution adopted on 15 March 2023, Parliament called for the immediate and unconditional release of Andrzej Poczobut, stating that the charges against him were “politically motivated” and “aimed at silencing independent voices and suppressing freedom of expression and association”.

Mzia Amaglobeli, a Georgian journalist and director of online media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti, was arrested in January 2025 for joining anti-government protests in Georgia. In August, she was sentenced to two years in prison on political grounds. Georgia’s first female political prisoner since the country’s independence and a defender of freedom of expression, Amaglobeli has become the figurehead for Georgia’s pro-democracy protest movement, opposing the ruling ‘Georgian Dream’ party’s regime since the contested October 2024 elections.

In a resolution adopted on 19 June 2025, Parliament called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mzia Amaglobeli in Georgia, condemning “the Georgian Dream regime’s systemic attacks on democratic institutions, political opposition, independent media, civil society and the independence of the judiciary”.

The other nominees for this year's Sakharov Prize are the protesting Serbian students and journalists and humanitarian aid workers in Palestine and all conflict zones, Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, the Budapest Pride, American civic activist Charlie Kirk.